Cranberry Raspberry Sauce – an easy, fast, gourmet, delicious side dish
All of a sudden, it is time to get ready for the holidays as another year flies past. And whether you love cooking a huge feast or are just bringing one dish to a gathering, it’s really nice to have a simple, easy but still delicious recipe to make. This cranberry raspberry sauce is an uncomplicated, 1 pot, 25 minute, make ahead recipe that will surely impress!
Sure, you could easily go to the store and buy cranberry sauce but it’ll never be the same as homemade. It’s so nice to be able to control the sugar level yourself. Store bought cranberry sauce contains about twice the amount of sugar as homemade. Also, the addition of raspberries gives it that extra little dimension of flavor.
How do rock hard berries turn into a jam?
Yes, you read that correctly when I said jam. The cranberry sauce served at thanksgiving would be called a jam if it were served on top of buttered toast. Actually, forget toast, serve them on top of these biscuits! Now we’re talking!
But the thing that makes cranberries so good in this application is pectin. To be technical, pectin is a large polysaccharide that forms a web of bonds when cooked in with the right amount of heat and acid. In layman’s terms, cooked cranberries make for a great jam/jelly candidate because they are very acidic and contain a high amount of thickener.
If you are interested in reading more about the science behind it all, click here.
Why should you make this cranberry raspberry sauce recipe?
- Fresh will always and forever beat store bought. Have you ever heard someone say, “This is good but I really wish I had the bland, generic store-bought version instead”?
- Cranberries and raspberries belong together. They are a classic combination of flavors and textures. And I’m all about adding dimensions of flavors
- It’s a fun science experiment. This recipe is so very easy I would trust my kids to make it. Obviously with adult supervision. And they like how you can see and hear the cranberries pop as they cook down. Hell, I’m almost 40 years old and still enjoy it!
Cranberry Raspberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cranberries fresh or frozen
- 6 ounces raspberries fresh or frozen
- 1 cup orange juice fresh or carton
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- orange zest for garnish
Instructions
- over medium low heat, combine all ingredients in a small pot.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Mix every couple minutes to prevent scorching the bottom.
- After about 20 minutes of simmering, the sauce should be nicely thickened. Remove from heat. It can be served immediately or served cold. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
